Back home...

We arrived home today from our adventure out East, and what an adventure it was! Thankfully, most of the 'adventure' part just involved us actually getting to Philadelphia. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 10:15 on Friday morning. At 6:00 am the phone rang and I stumbled to answer it half asleep. What a treat it was to hear a robotic voice informing me that our flight was cancelled (no idea why) and we were rebooked on a flight that had us arriving Philly at midnight! I'm thankful that we were notified by the airline, but travelling with a toddler doesn't really allow for a midnight arrival. After talking with multiple ticketing agents on the phone, I had us rebooked to get in at a more reasonable hour but we had to make a stop in Cincinnati.

With the sudden change in our travel plans, it felt like we were scrambling around at the last minute. We were so busy in fact, that we left the house without Graham's blanket. That probably doesn't sound like a big deal, but Graham can't survive without his blanket...it's crucial to his happiness! It's really too bad that I didn't realize we were without Graham's prized possession until we were checking in at the airport! Things really got kicked into high gear at that point, when Jeff grabbed his boarding pass and the car keys and sprinted out of the airport to get the blanket... our flight was scheduled to leave in less than an hour at this point! It came time for us to board the plane and Jeff still wasn't back yet. Just as I was about to hand the gate agent my own boarding pass, a very out of breath Jeff came rushing around the corner with the blanket in tow-he saved the day!!!! To make a long story short, we made it to Cincinnati only to be delayed for several hours. We eventually made it to Philly, but it was sure later than our originally scheduled time!

Peek-a-boo on the plane!

Once we arrived, we had a wonderful time catching up with family. Graham was a bit shy at first but it didn't take him long to warm up to everyone and soon he was showing off all his latest 'tricks'. On Saturday we took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and wandered around the city a bit. Before this trip, I had never been to Philadelphia, and after having a small taste of the city, I'm anxious to go back. There is so much to see and the city seems to be so full of life!

Graham enjoys his first lollipop compliments of Grandpa Greer

Graham sure was impressed by the Liberty Bell!

Monkey boy tries to climb the wall at the hotel...he wanted my phone which was sitting on the window ledge

On Saturday night we enjoyed our 'Thanksgiving' meal and it was absolutely delicious! Unfortunately, this meal wasn't Graham's shining moment regarding his table manners, but I think his volume and behaviour stressed me out more than anyone else.

Hanging out with Great Grandpa before dinner

Graham's Great Uncle Richard gave him an adorable tractor toy and Graham was convinced it was a riding toy

First experience with a turkey leg!

On Sunday morning, we took the train from Philly into Manhattan to visit our friends Charles, Erin, and their son Baird. We all attended St. Olaf together and it was great to have a reunion and introduce the boys to each other! Baird isn't even a year older than Graham, so perhaps they'll be classmates at St. Olaf someday! Charles and Erin were fantastic hosts, showing us around the city and Baird was quite the big boy as he kindly shared all of his toys with Graham!

The boys in Central Park. Graham and Baird were less than enthusiastic to be posing for a picture because they were just removed from a very fun playground.

Baird and Graham reading together. How cute are they???

On Monday, we visited the Museum of Natural History which was quite impressive. Graham and Baird immediately took advantage of the wide open spaces and decided the museum was the perfect place to burn off some energy. The boys took turns squealing and chasing each other. Their volume did cause some heads to turn, but luckily they're both so cute, that nobody could say a word!

Graham taking a lap through a museum exhibit


After we felt that the boys had done enough running and screaming, it was time for lunch. Depending on his mood, restaurant dining is really hit or miss with Graham, and I was a bit concerned how the meal would play out after his morning of 'freedom'. Both boys must have really worked up an appetite, because our delicious French meal was very enjoyable. We were actually able to carry on a conversation and everyone left with a full stomach. Success!

Enjoying some fruit before the meal

Here is a video of Graham and Baird enjoying each other's company. They played so nicely together, and became very fast friends. Warning: There is a lot of toddler happy screaming in this video...